Looking Back & Looking Forward: What We’ve Been Up To
Hello, dear community! It’s been a while since we last connected, and we have missed you enormously. No worries, we are back online and ready to share all of the exciting news, information, and inspiration surrounding parent engagement teaching and schooling at large. We’re going to dive back in with some information about what Debbie has been up to lately and what’s to come over the next couple of weeks.
First, we want to reflect on something significant that happened in the spring. In May, Debbie, a group of her incredible former graduate students, and her team hosted Walk Alongside International: A Parent Engagement Think Tank in Saskatoon. The three-day think tank included keynotes with leading international experts in the field of parent engagement, think tank sessions where participants engaged in dynamic dialogue with colleagues and thought leaders, rich community experiences where attendees lived new practices and possibilities in action, and planning that enabled teams to leave with a vision and a concrete series of next steps.
The event was incredibly successful, welcoming over 200 parents, educators, educational leaders, trustees, band council members, and policymakers to come together and share in the important work of re-centering parents and families in schooling. The event was transformative, and we are profoundly grateful to everyone who shared in this experience with us.
Following the think tank, Dr. Pushor announced her retirement from her position as a professor in the Department of Curriculum Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Now Professor Emerita at the University of Saskatchewan, Debbie’s work with her graduate students continues. As well, she has fulfilled several speaking engagements and a lot of work behind the scenes in the parent engagement space.
While Debbie’s body of work has existed both inside and outside of the institution of academia for decades, she is delighted to shift her focus to her work in the community, in collaboration with families, in consultation and on-the-ground action, and in partnership with stakeholders within the school landscape at all levels. Let’s take a look at what some of that work looks like in practice.
September 14th: Meeting With The Minister
Last month, Debbie and Vicki Moore, Director of Education for Sun West School Division, met with the newly appointed Minister of Education in Saskatchewan, the Honourable Jeremy Cockrill. This meeting took place at the Legislative Building in Regina with the purpose of discussing the Provincial Education Implementation Plan, specifically in regard to the parent engagement pillar. The new Provincial Education Plan has been afoot for quite some time, and it was among the key topics of focus at the Walk Alongside International Parent Engagement Think Tank. While Dr. Pushor previously participated as a member of the Provincial Education council, she is now largely focused on its implementation, what that looks like, how best to support educational leaders, teachers, parents, and students alike, and how to walk alongside one another in a meaningful way during this critical time.
September 22: 2023 Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit
Later in September, Debbie provided the keynote address at the virtual 2023 Ohio Family Engagement Leadership Summit. The theme of the summit was Setting the Table Together: Joy and Power in Partnerships. During Debbie’s address, entitled “Parent and Family Engagement: Creating a Table Where Rich People Sit,” she discussed a wide range of topics surrounding parent engagement, including “schools as protectorates,” “schoolcentric vs. familycentric approaches to schooling,” the conceptualization of “walking alongside,” “funds of knowledge,” “home culture,” “parent knowledge,” and more.
Many of these terms are foundational to Debbie’s work and can be explored further in her glossary here. It was a wonderful event, and Debbie was honoured to speak among so many influential thinkers in the space. If you’d like to watch the keynote address, you can view it online here.
September 26: Ohio Statewide Family Engagement Centre Office Hour
Following the keynote, attendees had the opportunity to register for a one-hour Office Hour with Debbie on Zoom. These Office Hours were used to discuss concepts in more depth, ask follow-up questions, and connect. Debbie began the morning by engaging with family-facing professionals who attended the keynote. She loved the experience, finding it rich and rewarding to dig deeper into concepts and practices with peers.
October 20: PD Day With North West School Divison
On October 20th, Debbie will be joining North West School Division in St. Walburg, Saskatchewan, for a full-day, face-to-face PD Day for prekindergarten teachers, staff, and specialists. This PD day will be focused on family engagement in the early years. With just over a month of the school year behind us, this is an ideal time for a comprehensive and engaging exploration like this, and Debbie is looking very forward to connecting with NWSD educators and staff.
October 16th to October 27th: Linda Young’s Doctoral Gallery Showing
From October 16th to October 27th, Debbie’s doctoral student, Linda Young, will be hosting a gallery showing of her doctoral work at AKA Gallery in Saskatoon. Linda’s dissertation combines 10 videos with 4 book works, or art installations. Her gallery showing will culminate with her doctoral defence, or fifth conversation with her committee members, on October 27th.
Linda’s dissertation, entitled The journey of a kêhtê-aya (elder): kiskisi sôhkisiwin, tâpôkêyimoh, sôhkitêhê, nâkatohkê: Memorize the strength, have faith, have a strong heart, pay attention, covers four key conversations with thought leaders on topics including the commodification, urbanization, and changing role of elders; cultural trauma; reparation and artivism; and lived reconciliation in schools: Indigenous children, youth, parents, and families taking space and claiming power in schools. Debbie is honoured to have worked with Linda on this journey and is incredibly excited about both processes and products of Linda’s doctoral work. After Linda’s defence, we will share more information and content about her dissertation.
October 28: Red Deer City-Wide School Council Conference for Parents
At the end of the month, Debbie will be providing a virtual keynote address for the Red Deer Public Schools’ City-Wide School Council Conference for Parents. Her presentation will focus on parent engagement, and she is very much looking forward to the opportunity to speak directly to parents, among other educational stakeholders in the city of Red Deer.